April 9, 2021 — U.S. aquaculture advocacy group Stronger America Through Seafood has launched a new campaign this week, titled “Essential Aquaculture,” that aims to create a sense of urgency for Congress to act swiftly on aquaculture expansion in the country.
Specifically, SATS is calling on Congress to clarify a regulatory pathway for permitting offshore aquaculture.
April 6, 2021 — A seafood pressure group is calling on the US Congress to support the expansion of the country’s aquaculture sector in order to benefit the American economy, industries and communities.
Through a new industry campaign titled “Essential Aquaculture,” Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) aims to create a sense of urgency for Congress to act swiftly on aquaculture.
“As Congress debates ways to address the many pressing challenges we face, including economic recovery, food security and environmental challenges, aquaculture should be considered as one of the solutions,” said Margaret Henderson, Campaign Manager of SATS.
“The expansion of American aquaculture is essential to the US economy. Aquaculture can strengthen American communities by supporting new jobs and a diverse workforce in a post-pandemic world. Increased seafood production would also ensure families have a steady supply of affordable American-raised seafood produced sustainably with minimal impact on the environment, which is essential to climate and conservation efforts.”
January 29, 2021 — Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), a trade group has emerged to promote aquaculture in the United States, has sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, asking that his administration prioritize domestic seafood production.
Specifically, the group has asked that aquaculture be included as part Biden’s oceans and climate policies “as a means to build back a stronger, more resilient America.”
June 19, 2020 — The letter, sent via the umbrella organisation Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), highlights the opportunities presented by the industry – which is poised for growth that can be expanded here in the US through passage of legislation introduced earlier this year.
It follows the introduction of the bipartisan AQUAA Act in March by Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Steven Palazzo (R-MS), and May’s executive order from the White House which included instructions for the creation of aquaculture “opportunity zones”.
“As millions of Americans are reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seafood community, like many others, is hurting. But Congress has a unique opportunity to build an American seafood future that can bring us through this challenging time and support a diverse workforce, enhance sustainable ecosystems and guarantee healthful, locally-sourced protein for American consumers while providing opportunities for other US industries, including the agriculture industry,” the letter states.
“At present, the US lags far behind the rest of the world in farmed seafood production. The single biggest reason for that is the lack of a clear regulatory pathway for permitting new projects, a challenging reality that has forced many American businesses to invest in other countries,” it continues.
May 11, 2020 — The Trump Administration has issued an executive order Thursday to remove “outdated and unnecessarily burdensome” aquaculture regulations to promote the competitiveness of American seafood.
The Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth acknowledged aquaculture’s contribution to the U.S. economy and in enhancing the quality of American lives.
It calls for the expansion of sustainable U.S. seafood production through more efficient and predictable aquaculture permitting.
“This demonstrates a clear understanding that safe, authorized aquaculture can have a lasting impact that is not only beneficial to the viability of wild capture stocks but to the economic sustainability of the entire seafood community,” said John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute.
May 11, 2020 — An executive order issued May 7 by the administration of US president Donald Trump will have “huge” and far-reaching impacts on the country’s ability to farm its own seafood, particularly offshore, sources told Undercurrent News. The order establishes the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the federal government’s lead agency for aquaculture permitting, set a two-year deadline for permitting most projects and seeks to develop “aquaculture opportunity zones”, among other provisions.
Its importance should not be “underestimated”, Margaret Henderson of the group Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) told Undercurrent.
“We in the seafood business know how much value we bring to the American public, we know how much value we bring to the global economy. But it’s not something you see batted around every day at the Oval Office,” she said.
She added that SATS was founded following a Nov 2017 meeting among representatives of companies such as Cargill, Pacific Seafood Group, Red Lobster, Fortune International, and Taylor Shellfish. The members met with the leadership of NOAA and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross about their hope to bring change to the sector.
“They indicated to us a willingness to move something like this back then. We’d been in constant communication and had several White House meetings since that time and have been working very close with the entire NOAA team who really should credit for the language in this product. They’ve been working on this for a very long time,” Henderson said.
February 19, 2019 — Another push for passage of a new US federal aquaculture law is in full swing with a petition to Congress signed by 122 professionals mostly from aquaculture or other seafood-related industries.
An informational gathering on Capitol Hill has been scheduled for lawmakers and their staff early next month.
Both the US Senate and House of Representatives’ versions of the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act that were introduced during the 115th Congress expired in December along with the session, but Margaret Henderson, campaign director for the Stronger American Through Seafood (SATS), told Undercurrent News Friday that she believes new bills will be introduced in both chambers within the next two months.
Senators Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, and representatives Collin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat, and Steve Palazzo, another Mississippi Republican, all of whom championed the earlier bills, are back, and support is already being built.